On Tuesday (July 7), Primary Wave officially passed all relevant regulatory scrutiny and closed its acquisition of Kobalt, Billboard has confirmed. The deal is estimated to be worth more than $1.5 billion.

The possibility of the deal was first reported by Billboard in February. At the time, it was estimated that if Primary Wave and Kobalt were to go through with it, the combined companies would be worth $7 billion in assets. By March 23, a press release announced that Primary Wave’s acquisition was officially happening and would include Kobalt’s worldwide operations, its catalog of copyrights and digital collection society AMRA.

Under the new ownership of Primary Wave, the two companies will continue to operate as standalone firms. Kobalt will retain CEO Laurent Hubert as its leader.

Primary Wave and Kobalt are both indie music giants in their own right, but the two have different focuses. Primary Wave is focused on big-name catalog acquisitions, with a portfolio containing stakes in catalogs from Prince, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Stevie Nicks, Luther Vandross, Bob Marley, Britney Spears and Jackson Brown. Kobalt has a different approach, focusing on offering a large roster of current songwriting talent with publishing administration aid and help collecting royalties, among other services, for signees like Phoebe Bridgers, Panic! At the Disco, Childish Gambino, Bon Iver, Kali Uchis, Paul McCartney and more.

Kobalt often ranks on Billboard’s Publishers’ Quarterly list as the largest independent music publisher by market share. In 2022, it was acquired by a group of investors led by Francisco Partners (which held a controlling 90% interest) in a deal that valued the company at around $750 million. Since then, the company has continued to grow its roster and improve profits. In recent years, Kobalt launched KOSIGN, its solution for young songwriters looking for flexible deal terms, and launched a joint venture with Morgan Stanley’s Tactical Value group with $700 million to invest in music copyrights.

While Primary Wave has ownership in an enviable catalog of hit songs, it’s historically been dependent on other publishers — including but not limited to Kobalt — to handle publishing administration. Sometimes, when Primary Wave acquires a catalog, the songs will be tied up in other incomplete publishing deals. For those catalogs that are free to move publishers, Primary Wave often assigns their administration, with songwriter consent, to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), sources say.

Now, Primary Wave has administration services at the ready in-house. It now also owns Kobalt’s AMRA, the global music collection organization that collects mechanical and performance royalties directly from digital services providers, which could help Primary Wave cut down on fees paid to local societies and subpublishers.

Ben Folds is giving fans a look at what might have been.

Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ben Folds Five’s self-titled debut album with the release of Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary), a newly remastered edition set to be released on Sept. 4.

The project pairs the original 1995 record with an unreleased version of the album titled Shelved First Attempt. The recently unearthed project is being previewed with the fan-favorite track “Underground (Shelved First Attempt),” available to fans on Tuesday (June 7).

“Here’s my 59-year-old self’s take on the album we made when I was 28: Overall, it’s good!” Folds writes in the anniversary edition’s liner notes. “It’s NOT the kind of record you’d hear produced these days. It’s pretty rough and tumble, mostly in a good way. And it’s emphatically unique. It’s from an era when you could still identify a band by the instrumentalists, before you’d even hear the vocalist.”

The “Shelved First Attempt” comprises tracks that remained tucked away for more than 30 years before Folds decided to resurface them from his personal archives. The recordings feature earlier versions of tracks such as “Underground,” “Julianne” and “Philosophy,” as well as “Boxing” and “Evaporated,” which appeared on the band’s 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen. Other tracks within the collection include “Emaline,” “Dick Holster” and “Eddie Walker.”

Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen’s release was the commercial breakthrough for Ben Folds Five, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. “Brick,” one of the songs from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Alternative Airplay chart, No. 11 on the Mainstream Top 40 and reached No. 19 on the mainstream Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) will be released via Capitol/UMe on CD and vinyl, while the remaster of the original album as well as the Shelved First Attempt will both be available to stream and download.

As the project’s reissue becomes available, the group is set to reunite for their first live performances together in more than 13 years next year.

Preview the Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) CD tracklist:

DISC 1 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (REMASTERED)

1. Jackson Cannery
2. Philosophy
3. Julianne
4. Where’s Summer B.?
5. Alice Childress
6. Underground
7. Sports & Wine
8. Uncle Walter
9. Best Imitation of Myself
10. Video
11. The Last Polka
12. Boxing

DISC 2 – BEN FOLDS FIVE (SHELVED FIRST ATTEMPT)

1. Underground
2. Julianne
3. Uncle Walter
4. Alice Childress
5. Evaporated
6. Dick Holster
7. Philosophy
8. Boxing
9. Emaline
10. The Last Polka
11. Eddie Walker

One thing about Jim Jones? He’s good for a quote.

The Harlem rapper popped by the No Funny Sh– podcast recently and was asked about the Verzuz challenge he made toward his fellow Diplomat Cam’ron back in May. And while he acknowledged that the challenge was just him trolling a little bit, Jimmy also said that he feels like he has one of the better discographies in New York rap history.

“I got a better catalog than over 90 percent of the rappers out of New York City in history,” he said confidently. “Not to be like…there’s been a lot of rappers in New York, but I got real gold records, more than one of them, like albums and sh– like that. You dig? I got real platinum singles and sh– like that.”

He added: “Some of your favorite rappers don’t have nothing platinum. That doesn’t make me better than anybody and sh– like that, but statistically I got a hell of a catalog. I mean, from every album that I put out, I got a dope a– single, especially in New York. In New York, hands down, I know I got 20 records.”

Jim made headlines this time last year when he defended himself after a podcast clip of a college student saying the Dipset member was more relevant than Nas went viral. However, during an interview with the legendary Angie Martinez, Jones admitted that he didn’t realize how many fans the Queens rapper still has after his comments received massive pushback from the hip-hop community.

You can watch Jim’s full conversation with No Funny Sh– below.

Record label GTS and Telemundo have entered a strategic alliance around Operación Triunfo Estados Unidos, the U.S. adaptation of the long-running Spanish music competition franchise, which premieres Tuesday (July 7) at 7 p.m. ET. Under the agreement, GTS will have a preferential right to sign artists emerging from the program and will also participate in the development of a potential concert tour.

“It is a source of pride — and a responsibility — for GTS to take part in the first edition of Operación Triunfo Estados Unidos alongside Telemundo,” Narcís Rebollo, CEO and president of GTS, said in a statement. “This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the format’s creation, whose development I had the opportunity to be part of from the very beginning, both in management and on the record label side, together with its creators, José María Mainat, Toni Cruz and Joan Ramon Mainat, achieving historic results for television, the recording industry and artist management from Spain.”

He continued, “I am convinced that we will discover great new talent in this first U.S. edition, and we will devote all our effort and professionalism to making that possible once again.”

Javier Pons, chief content officer and head of Telemundo Studios, added: “We are thrilled to join forces with GTS on the first edition of Operación Triunfo in the United States. This alliance allows us not only to discover and train a new generation of Latino talent in the country, representative of diverse nationalities, but also to help drive their careers beyond the program, giving them real opportunities for artistic development and visibility in the music industry.”

The deal further strengthens GTS’ position in discovery, development and international projection of Latin talent, while giving Telemundo an industry partner to help extend the show’s impact beyond the screen.

The arrival of Operación Triunfo in the U.S. marks a new chapter for one of Spanish-language entertainment’s most influential music franchises. Since launching in Spain in 2001, the format has helped introduce artists including David Bisbal, David Bustamante, Pablo López, Amaia, Aitana, Lola Índigo, Juanjo Bona and Chiara Oliver.

Peppa Pig is in the middle of some major beef — or should we say pork? — after seemingly shading Clairo in a new Pitchfork interview, which has motivated Charli xcx and PinkPantheress to mobilize on the “Bags” singer’s behalf.

The hilarious “drama” started Tuesday (July 7), when the cartoon character participated in the music publication’s “Over/Under” video series. When asked whether she thinks Clairo is over- or underrated, Peppa threw some bombastic side-eye at the camera and said pointedly, “I don’t know her.”

Of course, fans in the comments and online immediately clocked Peppa for the shady response, inciting Charli to join in and show her support for her fellow musician. “Let’s f— her up,” Charli wrote alongside a screenshot of Peppa’s comment in a text to Clairo, who shared the message on X.

PinkPantheress got involved after seeing that Peppa had also spoken about her in the Pitchfork video, declaring the “Stateside” artist “underrated.” “Does she like animals?” Peppa had added. “Maybe she would like me, because I’m pink too. And everyone likes me.”

But while the porcine protagonist’s comments about her were positive, Pink loyally responded on X, “ain’t sh– sweet until you put respect on clairo.”

If you’re wondering to yourself why Peppa Pig would diss Clairo, you may not have seen the singer/songwriter’s own “Over/Under” episode in 2019. At the time, Clairo was asked to rate Peppa, and she said: “Can I tell you something about Peppa Pig? She’s 7’1″ … she’s the tallest pig in the world. I’mma say underrated, just because I don’t know any taller pigs.”

“If she’s 7’1″, how tall is her mom?” Clairo had continued at the time. “How tall are all the other pigs? Who’s keeping track? What are the proportions of this whole show?”

Even though Clairo said she was underrated, it’s possible that Peppa interpreted her comment about her height as a jab and remembered it seven years later when it came time to make her own appearance on the Pitchfork series.

Or maybe Peppa was telling the truth and she actually doesn’t know Clairo — although she is a fan of a lot of other singers. “Pop stars make the best music,” Peppa added in her video. “I like Rihanna, P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Sabrina Carpenter, Britney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, Beyoncé, Cher, Dua Lipa — oh, and Shakira! One day, I’ll be the biggest pop star ever.”

Watch Peppa’s full episode of “Over/Under” below.

Yung Miami continues to achieve new milestones for her career with “Spend Dat,” which jumps 25-19 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated July 11. With its rise, the summer breakout hit becomes not only Yung Miami’s first solo top 20, but the first such hit of her career in any capacity, including her work as part of City Girls.

“Spend Dat,” released on Yung Miami/Uptown/Republic Records, is Yung Miami’s third solo Hot 100 hit. It follows “Rap Freaks,” which debuted and peaked at No. 81 in November 2021, and her collaboration with Latto and Lola Young, “Don’t Play With It,” which reached No. 69 in April 2023.

City Girls, the rap duo comprised of JT and Yung Miami, charted six songs on the Hot 100 from 2018 to 2022. “Act Up” produced the best result of the half-dozen hits, landing a No. 26 peak in June 2019. After their 2023 album RAW, the rappers elected to pause their collaborative efforts to focus on solo output. “It just wasn’t working no more,” she told Complex at the time. “So I think we both was at a point where we was just like, we should probably just do our own sh–.”

In its sixth week on the Hot 100, “Spend Dat” posts improvement in all three chart-contributing metrics – streaming, radio airplay and sales – in the United States, according to Luminate. On the streaming front, the single registered 8.1 million official streams in the week of June 26-July 2, up 1% from the previous week. Sales increased 15% week-over-week to 1,000 digital downloads in the latest frame. Radio airplay surged to 21.7 million in audience impressions for the tracking window, a 21% jump from last week’s 17.9 million count.

Reflecting other radio gains, “Spend Dat” captures the No. 1 rank on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rap Airplay charts, rising from the runner-up spot on both lists. In addition, it wins the Greatest Gainer tag on each ranking, awarded to the song with the week’s largest increase.

The single is her first Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay champ, after a No. 2 solo finish for “Don’t Play With That,” and three more silver medals as part of City Girls: “Act Up,” “Twerk,” featuring Cardi B, and “Good Love, with Usher. Similarly, “Act Up” ended its Rap Airplay run at No. 2, while “Don’t Play With That,” at No. 4, was previously Yung Miami’s best solo standing.

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Lizzie McGuire fans have a new reason to relive the early aughts, thanks to a refreshing summer body care line. 

Hilary Duff has partnered with Bath & Body Works to launch Fruit Fusion, a new body care line inspired by the early 2000s. The collection includes hand sanitizers, lip oils, perfume mists, and hand and body lotions formulated with hyaluronic acid, an ingredient known for helping skin retain moisture. 

Fruit Fusion offers four scents: Watermelon Whirl, Tangerine Twirl, Berry Bliss and Banana Blend. The fragrances are modeled after the fruity body splashes that were popular at Bath & Body Works during the early 2000s. 

And right now, you can mix and match to buy three items and get one for free when ordering online. It’s one of the best ways to save and try out the collection for yourself.

The collection’s release reflects a broader resurgence of Y2K-inspired culture, seen in projects like the Devil Wears Prada sequel and the Marc Jacobs Beauty relaunch, as well as renewed interest in early-2000s trends, such as low-rise jeans and the return of camcorders. 

The partnership also comes as Duff embarks on her first world tour since 2007, marking a notable return to touring after almost two decades. 

Infused with watermelon and aloe, this body wash is clinically tested to hydrate your skin all day long. 

This whipped banana and smooth vanilla body cream leaves skin feeling soft and is a top seller at Bath & Body Works. 

Notes of blackberry, frozen acai and pineapple can be found on this shea butter and coconut oil​-infused body lotion. 

Spiked with mango pulp and fizzy tangerine notes, this quick and easy mist is reminiscent of a Y2K summer. 

Dewy watermelon and juicy berry notes make this pocket-friendly size hand sanitizer perfect for a refresh while traveling. 

This banana-infused lotion fights dry skin with 48-hour moisture defense, powered by shea butter and coconut oil. 

Inspired by early-aughts lip glosses, Berry Bliss lip oil gives you shine, minus the stickiness, with a coconut oil formula. 

Nourish and soothe your skin with this rich, cushiony body cream infused with juicy watermelon. 

Portable and fragrant, this Tangerine Twirl hand cream offers the same 48-hour moisture defense in a compact tube.

Fruit Fusion is available now online and in-store at Bath & Body Works.

In the meantime, watch the body care collection’s introduction video below:

A new lawsuit alleges the hit 2023 NewJeans song “ETA” stole multiple elements from an instrumental dance track released nearly two decades earlier.

The Tuesday (July 7) legal complaint, first obtained and reported by Billboard, levels copyright infringement claims against NewJeans members Minji, Hanni, Haerin, Hyein and Danielle, as well as their label ADOR and parent company HYBE. The lawsuit also names various writers, producers and companies involved in the creation and distribution of “ETA,” which was part of NewJeans’ chart-topping EP Get Up and hit No. 4 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Songs chart in August 2023.

A company called All Surface Publishing is claiming that “ETA” lifts instrumentals from “Samir’s Theme,” a 2005 dance track by the producer DJ Debonair Samir. Specifically, the lawsuit says both songs feature the same syncopated melodic horns, bass drums and rhythmic structures.

“Defendants, and each of them, included a combination of elements in ‘ETA’s’ musical composition (and sound recording embodying that composition) that is strikingly and/or substantially similar, and indeed virtually identical, to an original combination of elements from ‘Samir’s Theme’ without a license from or compensation to All Surface,” reads the complaint.

Multiple music critics pointed out the similarities between the two songs when NewJeans released Get Up in 2023. Pitchfork wrote that “ETA” “takes horns from the Baltimore club classic ‘Samir’s Theme,’” and Paste said the song features “a blaring horn line lifted from the quintessential 2000s Baltimore club track ‘Samir’s Theme.’”

All Surface says it sent a cease-and-desist letter to the various defendants last month, but no resolution was reached. The publisher is now seeking unspecified financial damages, including a portion of the “significant revenue and profits” generated by “ETA.”

Reps for HYBE and ADOR did not immediately return a request for comment on the lawsuit.

This is not the first time All Surface has brought copyright infringement litigation over “Samir’s Theme.” In 2024, the publisher sued Pitbull’s label, Mr. 305 Inc., for allegedly copying the track on his 2021 dance hit “I Feel Good.” That case ended in a settlement last year.

NewJeans, meanwhile, was hit with a different copyright lawsuit two months ago claiming its 2024 song “How Sweet” used elements from a songwriting demo without compensation. ADOR denied those claims in a statement to Billboard, saying “no form of copying or infringement took place.”

The group and its label home have been embroiled in an internal legal battle of their own over the last several years. In 2024, all five original members attempted to sever ties with ADOR and go independent under the new moniker NJZ following the controversial firing of CEO Min Hee-jin. This led to a lawsuit, and ADOR ultimately prevailed when a South Korean court ruled in October that the women must remain under an exclusive contract until 2029.

In the wake of that ruling, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein all decided to return to ADOR and resume working with the label. Minji is still deciding whether to do the same. Danielle will not be part of NewJeans’ future; she was formally dropped from the group in December and is now facing further legal action from ADOR over her role in the attempted breakaway.

A seasoned RuPaul’s Drag Race star is ready to sashay into the Big Brother house, with the reality show announcing Tuesday (July 7) that Jason De Puy — aka Salina EsTitties — is joining the season 28 cast.

The news comes alongside a larger cast announcement for the upcoming installment of the program, which involves the nonstop surveillance of a group of strangers living together in a remote house as they undergo a series of votes to determine who is eliminated over time. Melody Morris, Barrett Pfeiffer, LaTrice Verrett and more are also part of the next season.

De Puy is most well known for his alter ego Salina, previously competing on season 15 of Drag Race in 2023 before joining the ongoing 11th season of Drag Race All-Stars this year. He has also released a handful of songs under the EsTitties name, including the 2026 single “Pek Pek.” Last year, De Puy was featured on “My Guy” by fellow Big Brother alum/Ariana Grande’s older brother Frankie Grande.

The performer shared a video on Instagram introducing himself to the Big Brother fanbase, exclaiming that he’s “low-key a superfan” of the show.

“I’ve been watching since season 16, so I’ve been around,” De Puy said before giving a preview of what his strategy for the competition will be. “I’m gonna say that I’m a professional drag queen, and I’m going to read the room to see if anyone clocks my tea. If they clock me, I’m just going to be like, ‘Yeah, I was on Drag Race.’”

“The perfect blindside’s gonna get them, and they’re gonna be so gagged, but baby, at that point it’ll be too late,” the San Francisco native added. “Sorry, goodbye.”

The next season of Big Brother will premiere July 9 on CBS.

Watch De Puy’s intro clip below.

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